WNBA Lands Historic Media Deal Amid Caitlin Clark Mania
The WNBA has landed the biggest media deal in league history.
The WNBA has never had more attention on it than it does right now thanks to the incredible hype surrounding Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
The former Iowa superstar is pushing the league to unprecedented levels as TV ratings and attendance for her games boom.
Well, the WNBA is keeping its momentum soaring with a new media deal that will bring in a level of money never before seen in the league.
The WNBA has landed a massive new media deal. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
WNBA agrees to new media deal.
The WNBA's new media deal - which was negotiated by the NBA - is for 11 years and worth $2.2 billion, according to The Athletic.
The report claims the final number could go even higher. It breaks down to $200 million a year. The league's expiring media deal is worth around $50 million annually.
The WNBA is quadrupling its media revenue as it enters its Caitlin Clark era with games airing on ESPN, NBC and Amazon. It's truly an incredible situation.
Caitlin Clark has helped elevate the WNBA. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
While Caitlin Clark probably isn't 100 percent responsible for the league scoring a historic deal, it's impossible to deny the impact she's had.
The WNBA was never a mainstream sports league. Yes, fans existed, but people weren't going to bars demanding WNBA games be put on and then proceed to debate the league for days on end.
That all changed the moment Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever. Interest in the league immediately skyrocketed, and the ratings reflect the fact she's carrying the league. She's responsible for the two most-watched WNBA games in decades, and data from late June showed games featuring Clark averaged nearly twice as many viewers as those without the electric guard.
The boost she's given the league can't be denied. Very few people would be talking about women's pro basketball right now if she was still at Iowa.
What happens when interest skyrockets? More money floods in, salaries get boosted and everyone wins. A rising tide raises all ships, and the tide is now set at a floor of $200 million annually for the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark played a huge role in boosting the WNBA. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
All of her critics and haters might want to say thank you because it's doubtful this deal happens if the WNBA still was in the shadows. Agree? Disagree? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.